202 TIMALIID. 
the quills, the tail and upper tail-coverts; lores brown ; cheeks, 
sides of head and neck olive-brown tinged with rufous; lower 
plumage bright rufous, paler on the abdomen and suffused with 
brown on the thighs and under tail-coverts; under wing-coverts 
and edge of wing rufous; tail slightly cross-rayed. 
Colours of soft parts. Iris creamy-white to bright yellow; bill 
yellow or pale yellowish-horny, the culmen and tip dark brown; 
legs and feet dark fleshy-yellow, yellowish brown, reddish brown 
and yellowish grey. 
Measurements. Length 250 to 260 mm.; wing 87 to 90 mm. ; 
tail about 110 to 115 mm.; tarsus about 33 mm.; culmen about 
18 to 19 mm. 
Distribution. The Western Ghats from Coonoor and Kotagiri 
on the Nilgiris to Khandala near Bombay. 
Nidification. The Rufous Babbler makes a nest of leaves, grass 
and creeper stems lined with fine grass stems, which it places in a 
bush or tree standing in forest. The eggs seem to be usually 
three in number, sometimes only two, sometimes four. They are 
of the typical glossy, rather dark blue and measure about 24:2 x 
185 mm. The breeding season is February and March. 
Habits. Except that it keeps much to jungle and bamboo cover 
away from the haunts of men, the habits of this bird are quite 
typical of the genus. Its voice is said to be softer and more 
musical than that of the common forms, but it is almost equally 
noisy and active. 
(197) Argya longirostris. 
Tur SLENDER-BILLED BABBLER. 
Pyctorhis longirostris (Hodgs.), Moore, P. Z.8., 1854, p. 104 (Nepal). 
Argya longirostris, Blanf. & Oates, i, p. 108. 
Vernacular names. Duao-ling titri (Cachari). 
Description. Upper plumage, tail and exposed parts of wings 
deep reddish brown; lores, cheeks, chin and upper throat white ; 
the whole lower plumage and the ear-coverts ferruginous, 
becoming albescent on the abdomen ; tail cross-rayed. 
Colours of soft parts. Iris white or biuish white; bill black ; 
legs and feet dark brown. 
Measurements. Length about 240 mm.; wing 76 to 79 mm.; 
tail about 115 to 120 mm.; tarsus about 30 mm.; culmen about 
18 to 19 wim. 
At first sight this bird with its more slender, curved, black Dill 
looks as if it should be put in a genus separate from the Common 
Babbler with its shorter bill of almost bright yellow. Its some- 
what spiny-shafted feathers of the forehead are also a feature 
